Humphrey Bogart as private eye Sam Spade in a publicity still for John Huston's 1941 film The Maltese Falcon. Photograph: AP

Aquascutum trenchcoats have been worn by royalty, political leaders and celebrities ranging from three Princes of Wales, Sir Winston Churchill and Baroness Thatcher to Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Michael Caine.

The British fashion brand's history stretches back to 1851 when Mayfair tailor John Emary opened a menswear shop in Regent Street. A couple of years later, he patented a method of producing a water-repellent textile. He then named the company Aquascutum, from the Latin words aqua (water) and scutum (shield). Soon the streets of Mayfair were filled with men wearing the 'Aquascutum Wrapper'.

During the Crimean war, British army officers wore the grey raincoats to withstand the Russian winter.

In the late 1870s, Emary and his son left Regent Street and handed Aquascutum over to Scantlebury & Commin. Under its lead, the brand became known for weather resistant and comfortable clothes for walking, riding, shooting and golf. A trademark was registered in 1895. The Aquascutum overcoats were worn by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who granted Scantlebury & Commin Aquascutum's first royal warrant in 1897.

With women leading more active lives, the company started designing shower-proof coats and suits for ladies and opened a womenswear department in 1900. In 1909, the first factory opened in Corby, Northamptonshire.

Facing demand from the military, whose overcoats were usually not lined, Aquascutum came up with the trenchcoat, featuring removable, buttoned-in lining. After the first world war, the trenchcoat became part of civilian wardrobes.

Second world war

During the second world war, allied soldiers, sailors and airmen wore Aquascutum's coats into battle. After the war, the coats made it onto the silver screen with Humphrey Bogart sporting the "Kingsway" trench both in films and in private. Later Peter Sellers wore an Aquascutum coat in The Pink Panther Strikes Again.

The 1980s saw the launch of a wide range of accessories in the club check pattern. The company went through a period of expansion, opening shops in the US, Canada, France, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore.

From 1987, when she paid her historic visit to the USSR, the wardrobe of prime minister Margaret Thatcher was supplied by Aquascutum, from coats and tailored suits to dresses and evening wear.

In the 1990s, Aquascutum supplied the official uniforms for the British Olympic team.

Japan's Renown bought the firm in 1990. In 2006, Kim Winser took over as chief executive and signed up James Bond star Pierce Brosnan as the face of the brand, followed by Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen.